Jewish biography: Selman Waksman – The great healer

Selman decided to leave Russia forever and move to the United States to live with his mother’s sisters. On November 2, 1910, he arrived in Philadelphia. In September 1911, Waksman became a student at the New Jersey State College of Agriculture at Rutgers University, from which he graduated in 1915 with a Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural science. Starting his research there in soil microbiology, he received his master’s degree in 1916, along with US citizenship. [Alex Gordon]

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Alex Gordon, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Opinion, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors

The shifting sands of the rabbinate

For years, hand-wringing over a looming “rabbinic shortage” has dominated communal discourse. However, the Atra study meticulously dismantles this narrative. The issue isn’t a lack of individuals called to service, but a profound mismatch between supply and specific demands. [Barrett Holman Leak]

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Barrett Holman Leak, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Opinion, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors

A record-breaking term: Over 350 students enrolled in Israel studies classes

With antisemitism and anti-Zionism rising on campus, our Visiting Israeli Professors and Modern Israel Studies classes are doing something vital: providing academic truth. They give students the tools and the context to look past the social media noise and actually engage with the modern state of Israel. [Murray Galinson San Diego Israeli Initiative]

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Antisemitism, Israel, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Young woman atheist describes her conversion to Orthodox Judaism

Lobell notes that Judaism did not ask her to believe first, but to learn, to question, and to practice. Where Catholicism had been imposed, Judaism was discovered. Where faith once felt compulsory, it now felt invitational. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D.]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Michael Mantell, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors

‘Black Power: Jewish Politics:’ A live event with Marc Dollinger, Ilana Kaufman, and Susannah Heshel

Join historian Marc Dollinger for a live conversation on his groundbreaking book “Black Power Jewish Politics”, with an afterword by Ilana Kaufman, the CEO of Jews of Color Initiative. Susannah Heschel, a preeminent scholar and the daughter of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel (z’’l), also joins the conversation. [Barrett Holman Leak]

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Antisemitism, Barrett Holman Leak, Israel, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Opinion, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Jewish and African American Joint Justice – Celebrating The NAACP’s 115th Anniversary

On February 12, 1909, the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) was founded by a group including W.E.B. Du Bois, Ida B. Wells, Mary White Ovington, and Moorfield Storey. It was on the 100th birthday of former President Abraham Lincoln. [Barrett Holman Leak]

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Antisemitism, Barrett Holman Leak, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, News Media, Opinion, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

OpEd: How did Zionism become a dirty word in San Diego?

What took place before San Diego’s recent Jan. 19 “All Peoples Celebration” to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is a startling example of what can happen when a single word that reflects a simple objective can become hijacked. [Marsha Sutton]

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Antisemitism, California, International, Israel, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, News Media, Opinion, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Our Shtetl: New treatments at Hadassah Medical Org. and Winter Olympics Update

The idea to create the Pediatric Nephrology-Urology Center grew out of the shared vision of the two Hadassah Medical Organization specialists who will be its co-directors, Oded Volovelsky, MD, and Guy Hidas, MD. Dr. Volovelsky heads the hospital system’s Pediatric Nephrology specialty and is President of the Israeli Association for Pediatric Nephrology, while Dr. Hidas heads Pediatric Urology and is President of the Israeli Pediatric Urology Society. [Cailin Acosta]

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Cailin Acosta, California, International, Israel, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Obituaries & memorials, Opinion, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Sports & Competitions, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food, USA

We Danced Again

For two years, we’ve carried the words “we will dance again” in our hearts. And to close out FED360, we did just that. We danced. Joyfully, energetically, breathlessly, unapologetically. Together, we celebrated the strength and resilience of our community and the impact of building belonging and connection. [Heidi Gantwerk]

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Antisemitism, Heidi Gantwerk, Israel, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Opinion, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA